Borderlands - Joins the DLC Bandwagon

October 16th, 2009, 15:35

Zombies appear to be the fad of the games industry atm and Gearbox doesn't seem to want to be left out. It does, at least, sound somewhat more substantial than most DLC content. Cheers to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the announcement.

2K Games announced today that the first piece of downloadable content for Borderlands™, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, is planned for release later this year for all available platforms for $9.99. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is in development at Gearbox Software and is the first in a series of downloadable expansions that will enhance the Borderlands mayhem in fun and exciting ways.
Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned (who is not related to Dr. Zed from Fyrestone) does his job a little too well, creating zombies and other abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on a quest to cure the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this full-fledged expansion filled with new enemies, new quests and rare loot drops.

Had this been a day 1 DLC I'd have probably raised an eyebrow even though they said many times that DLC was to be part of the future for Borderlands, but since this won't hit until perhaps December or some such—-plenty of time in advance. This just doesn't strike me as an "excluded just because" move.

Had this been a day 1 DLC I'd have probably raised an eyebrow even though they said many times that DLC was to be part of the future for Borderlands, but since this won't hit until perhaps December or some such—-plenty of time in advance. This just doesn't strike me as an "excluded just because" move.

I partially agree, however, it still leaves the DLC sour taste in my mouth.

If it's mid-game content I want it at release, I don't want it in a month or two, I've already played the game, I'm not going back to just play a new zone.

However if it's at release I want it to be included, not paying extra for it. Then it does feel like they intentionally left it out just to charge extra for it. It irks me when the announce DLC before a game is even released, it gives me that left it out on purpose feel.

Also it's the price point, at $10 I doubt this adds another 20-25% to the game. I've been pretty excited about Borderlands, but now, this really quelled my interest. If this is going to be a piecemeal DLC game, I may just wait for the GOTY edition for 50% off now.

Borderlands for the PS3 and the 360 will be available next week on Oct. 20 (PC comes out the 26)! The wait is almost over! If you haven't pre-ordered your copy, there's still time! Visit our site and click the Buy Now menu option to see a list of pre-order retailers, or visit your favorite local game retailer and ask to put in a pre-order for Borderlands!

Some locations are having midnight releases, so make sure you ask your local stores if you're interested in participating! A few Gearbox Developers will be packing up some swag to give away and heading to some Dallas/Fort Worth locations to celebrate midnight releases. If you're in the area, you can come celebrate with us at:

Gamestop
2201 Preston Rd
Plano, TX 75093-2306

or

Gamestop
6245 Rufe Snow Dr
Fort Worth, TX 76148-3321

Gearbox is throwing a huge party to celebrate the launch of Borderlands tomorrow (Saturday). We're calling it the Extravasplosion, and we're inviting our fans (well, as many of them as we can fit!). You can sign up via this RSVP site if you think you can join us and Mix Master Mike to celebrate the release!

You got zombies in my Borderlands! The first Borderlands DLC has been announced! Check out this article on Giantbomb to take a sneak peek at the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned! We haven't announced the release date of this first DLC yet, but we'll let you know when it's on its way!

Want to connect with Gearbox and Borderlands? You can become a fan on Facebook, follow us on twitter, and of course, you can always visit our community, where our devs and fans discuss and interact! Meet other Borderlands fans, find people to play with, and connect with Gearbox!

I understand why games have DLC, besides the money, as they want to keep half their team productive towards the end of development, when their particular skills are no longer otherwise needed; however, I still get irrationally annoyed when I see it. Such is my psychosis…

Originally Posted by Santos
I understand why games have DLC, besides the money, as they want to keep half their team productive towards the end of development, when their particular skills are no longer otherwise needed; however, I still get irrationally annoyed when I see it. Such is my psychosis…

I don't even see that reasoning. They could just do a full expansion that really adds to the game. Instead, I'm like you, I don't see myself firing off the game 2 months later to play 2-4 extra hours (regardless of the fact that I probably don't remember much of my character(s))

I either play day 0 DLC (so I already have it when I start) or full expansions

Games are bigger than movies now - and the big corps. have stumbled on a way to maximise profits:

1. Digital Distribution - far lower costs due to no physical delivery
2. DLC - costs above the initial outlay once you buy into the "brand". Like buying a Mach 5 razor and having to buy he refills to got your "great" shave.

Its like SaaS (Software as a Service) with things like Google Apps. there are many, many advantages for the user when using a Cloud application, but also much higher profit for the corp. due to lower overheads. Now everyone wants a bit of the pie.

WoW is a great example of obscene profits that can be made from a cloud service.